Back from vacation

Well, I'm back. We had a wonderful time. The first day at sea was a little rough since were sailing though the middle of a storm. I woke up around 3:00 AM and it was rocking quite a bit. I looked out the window and saw lightning striking all around the boat. Okay, I had a brief feeling of anxiety about being hit by lightning but I talked myself out of it and went back to bed. The next day the weather cleared and the rest of the trip was fabulous. Weather was around 85 degrees and the water was about 85 degrees and crystal clear, turquoise. Lovely. We sailed on a catamaran and went snorkling and played on a white sandy beach. Here's a picture of me on the beach in Jamaica after swimming & snorkling (lovely hair - don't ja think):



We did the Cayman Island tour and visited the turtle farm and the Tortuga Rum Factory (the rum cakes come in about a dozen flavors and I bought a bunch to bring home). Here's our ship in the Cayman Islands. The water is so clear you can see the white sand at the bottom of the harbor.



We went shopping in Cozumel and I only bought a T-shirt for Bob. The water was the most beautiful there and I would really love to go back there some day and stay in a resort. On the last day at sea the Gulf of Mexico was a smooth as glass (to make up for the rough first day).

I ate too much but I managed to avoid the midnight chocolate dessert buffets. Most of the nightly entertainment was pretty good for the most part but the motown singer sucked (who told him he could carry a tune?) and the ventriloquist/comedian was not funny at all. But the dance reviews were wonderful. Our cruise director was a hoot with his British accent. Very funny guy. Overall a great trip .... I didn't want to go home. Got home at midnight Sunday night and woke up the next morning to 4 inches of snow. ... Sigh, the vacation was officially over.

What I Read:

The Duke by Gaelen Foley Grade: A-
Started this before we left on the trip and finished it on the plane to Houston. Great book with a wonderful hero and heroine. Turned out to be a keeper.

Lord of Danger by Anne Stuart Grade: B+
Another great anti-hero but this time in a medieval setting. The hero is fascinating along with the heroine. And a great secondary romance.

Lord of My Heart by Jo Beverley Grade: B
I haven't read Jo Beverley in quite a while and have forgotten how much I enjoy her work. This book was set shortly after William of Normandy invades England in 1066. There are several misunderstandings made by both the hero and heroine that take awhile to get ironed out but I enjoyed this book overall. It seemed very realistic for the time and well-researched.

Lethal Lies by Laurie Breton Grade: B
This is another romantic suspense set in a small town featuring the hero as the chief of police. Heroine returns home to care for her niece who has been orphaned when her mother is killed. No violence and the story focuses more on the relationships than the mystery.

I stayed home from work on Monday to get unpacked and do laundry. Now I need to get back to Weight Watchers. I've got to lose some weight before going shopping for a dress for Angie's wedding. Sigh.

Bon Voyage

We're leaving tomorrow for the Houston to catch a boat to the western Caribbean. It's a 7-day cruise and we will be stopping in 3 ports of call:

• Montego Bay, Jamaica
• Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
• Cozumel, Mexico
  

Here's our ship... Carnival Conquest. It's bigger than the Carnival Pride we were on last year. We are staying in a room with a balcony on the stern of the ship so we will look out over the back wake.




I have packed 6 books from my massive TBR mountain. I also downloaded some ebooks to my PDA along with some games (Sudoku and Bejeweled 2). The flight from Seattle to Houston is about 5 hours, then we have to drive from Houston to Galveston (another hour).

I may not have a whole lot of time for reading once we are on the ship except in the evenings. I'd like to do more walking and exercising than I did last year on the Mexican cruise, but Bob has screwed things up with his sprained ankle. It is MUCH better but he still is limping a little and he shouldn't walk for long periods of time. We are going with a group of 15 people so I'm hoping to get someone to walk and exercise with me.

I've got butterflies about flying tomorrow but it's more excitement than nerves. There is so much to pack and get ready.

Sorry I've been such a terrible blogger lately. I will resolve to do better when I get back. (I keep saying that but I never improve.) I really want to get my 2007 AAR poll done as soon as we get back.

Reading now: The Duke by Gaelen Foley ....... Excellent so far!

Driven by Eve Kenin

My review writing has been pretty sparse lately. So I thought I would write some quickie reviews to get caught up on some good 2007 books that you may have missed and should consider reading.

TITLE: Driven
AUTHOR: Eve Kenin
COPYRIGHT: 2007
SETTING/TYPE: Futuristic Romance
THOUGHTS / OPINION:
On my weekend trip to frozen, snowy North Dakota I took this book along which by coincidence takes place in a frozen Siberian-like world with extreme subzero temperatures. The setting is a futuristic post-apocalyptic world (after a nuclear war) where a third of the world population has been decimated. This is a fabulous action/adventure well blended with a hot spicy romance.

Raina is an independent trucker who hauls much needed supplies between the scattered outposts of the Northern Waste. She intends to compete in a contest with a group of truckers who are basically pirates who will kill other drivers and hijack their cargo. In the opening scene Raina shows us what a kick-ass heroine she is. She pairs up with Wizard and they get chased across the frozen icy wasteland in her completely self contained truck. Wizard is a robot like character with some strange abilities and very enigmatic until his background is slowly revealed. I really enjoyed this book. The action is non-stop and the sexual tension really heated things up. The character development and dialogue between Raina and Wizard were great and brought them to life. Eve Kenin is a going to be an author to watch.
My grade: B+

Her next book is Hidden (July 2008) which features Wizard's sister (I think). Found the cover:

I'm trying to be less bitchy

OK, people, I lived through Christmas Day but just barely. My last post was extremely whiney and bitchy and I'm now trying to be a better person. I had been a real crab and bitch to Bob and I'm trying to make it up to him. I made dinner (a real dinner - not warmed up leftovers) TWO nights in a row. Come on, people, that's love don't you think? Bob is enjoying my guilt trip.

I'm going to take Cindy's advice and inform Bob that next year there will be no golfing or any activity where he could possibly hurt himself. He only uses the crutches about half the time now so his ankle is getting better.

I worked yesterday (Thursday) and today and it's great because only about 15 or 20 people are in the building. So I have got a lot done with no distractions and irritations. I brought in most of my Christmas goodies and left them in the community kitchen and voila - they disappeared. Awesome. Bob and I are going on a cruise in three weeks so I'm going to try to behave myself foodwise. My tummy has been in knots for days from holiday anxiety and it's still not back to normal. I'm laying off the coffee and trying to eat healthy so hopefully it will get back to normal.

I have been reading and I have several half finished reviews that I'm going to try and finish.

Reading now: Candle in the Window by Christina Dodd
This book has been languishing in my TBR pile for years. I'm really loving it but it's been slow going. The language is a touch too "old english" for me and I find myself re-reading several passages trying to figure out what they mean. It has a very medieval-ish feel with the language and social mores and attitudes. I love the hero and heroine.

Merry Christmas... shoot me now

You'll never believe this. Yesterday (Saturday) morning Bob went golfing (in the rain) while I hit the stores and after making about 10 stops manage to finish most of my shopping. I walked in the door at home ready to start wrapping, decorating and baking. And what do I find. Bob is 'braced' in the kitchen trying to fix his lunch. And he casually mentions the fact that while out golfing he hurt himself. Come to find out ... he has severely sprained his ankle. He was in pain and couldn't put any weight on it. I was stunned. Okay, I admit, I'm a selfish bitch, but my first thought was "how am I going to get everything done without him?"

Bob said he was walking down a slope (11th hole) and slipped on the wet grass and tried to catch himself and heard a loud pop (that was probably the ligament tearing). I was ready to be all sympathetic when he goes on to say that he thought he could just walk it off so he plays the other 7 holes limping. So here is where I get pissed at him. Walk. It. Off. ???? Are you kidding me? What is with the male macho shit? How he made it home driving I have no idea (it is his right ankle). So now his ankle is so swollen and black and blue he can hardly move. I had to call the neighbor to get him in the car so I can drive him to the emergency room because I wanted to make sure no bones were broken.

So I get him in the wheelchair at the ER and fill out the forms and we are sitting in the waiting room when I remember that I forgot to buy a toy for a 4-yo that will be at out house on Christmas. I left Bob at the ER and went over to Toys-R-Us (Bob said it was okay). Yeah, I'm a heartless bitch. I get back to ER and he is in the trauma room waiting for xray. No bones broken thank goodness but the doctor said sprains sometimes take just as long to heal but he should be able to move around in 5-7 days! I get him home and barely managed to get him in the house by myself. My neighbor (same one) happened to have a spare pair of crutches and they are a godsend.

Did I mention that Bob has NOT done ANY Christmas shopping (Mr. Procrastinator - worse than me). He usually shops Christmas Eve day, but that's out now. So he called our daughter and she went out tonight to get my gifts. Today was unbelievable. We have an artificial tree we keep in the attic in a HUGE box. I dragged it to the top of the stairs and made numerous trips up and down to empty out all the branches. I put Bob to work unfolding all the branches and I set it up. I also wrapped presents, baked cookies, cleaned and de-cluttered, and fetched and carried water and food for Mr. Grumpy-Pants. He's a very bad patient. He supposed to keep it elevated, on ice and take ibuprofen but I had to nag him about it. But I give up... he's on his own tomorrow. I'm not a very sympathetic nurse. I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store and I think I'm ready for Christmas Day and Eve. I feel pretty good about being ready. But really, I think I deserve medal ... or maybe diamonds, yeah, that would do it.

I am having my daughter and boyfriend and son and girlfriend Christmas Eve, then we go to church and I play in our handbell choir. Christmas morning is quiet, but just as a prelude to my whole family coming for dinner (19 people). I am making a turkey and ham and everyone else brings the rest. Then we are doing a secret santa gift exchange.

Wake me when it's over :)

Hope everyone has a lovely holiday.

I'm still alive

I'm still alive but I haven't done any blogging for a couple weeks. The Christmas tree is not up, nor are the decorations, and my shopping is only partially done. BUT I did finish my Christmas letter and got my cards mailed.

Renee=>Queen of Procrastination

The other girl I work with is gone for a MONTH to India and I am stuck with EVERYTHING. My boss said she would help me but she hasn't done a single thing. So I'm tearing my hair out at work. I am in two handbell groups and this is our busiest time of year. We had a concert and just practiced last night for our Christmas Eve performance at church.

This year is my turn to host Christmas dinner which is stressing me out since I have no furniture in my living room (long story) and Bob is not cooperating with my ideas about rearranging the furniture in the family room so everyone will fit (I'm expecting about 20 people). Sigh!

I'm going shopping after work today (in fact I should leave work right now) and hope to finish up. Then the wrapping begins. God, I feel like such a disorganized mess!

But I have been reading. My current book is The Lawman's Bride by Cheryl St. John and wow, it's a real tearjerker. I love a good tearjerker.

I have some time off next week, so I hope to get back to writing reviews next week.

Quick Post

Just a quick post to let you know we arrived home safe and sound from North Dakota. We flew into Minot on Friday and the weather was cold and sunny. But a snow storm blew in on Saturday and dumped about 4 or 5 inches of very dry powdery snow. I was very worried about getting back home because Minneapolis was also dumped on and there were multiple flight cancellations. But Sunday morning was again clear (and very cold) for our flight out of Minot. They de-iced the plane but we were late getting into Minneapolis. They again de-iced the plane in Minneapolis and we arrived in Seattle a mere 45 minutes late.

Sunday and Monday Seattle was hit by torrential rains which we call "The Pineapple Express" because the weather system originates near Hawaii and blasts through with warm temperatures and heavy rains. On my way to work yesterday I came across one intersection that was a lake with water more than a foot deep and water pouring down the street like a river.

My parents in law absolutely LOVED the digital picture frame. It was a HUGE hit. Thank you Cindy! If you are having trouble thinking of a gift idea for your mom or dad or grandparent, this is the thing to buy.

I brought 3 books along to read on the plane and I'm glad I did. I finished 2 of them and started on the 3rd one. I just finished that one last night. I'll post about them soon. I enjoyed all three.

Reading now: Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas
I just started it and I'm only a few pages in so I don't have any impressions yet except that it's already quite intriguing. I can hardly wait to get home from work and start reading some more.

Off to North Dakota

We're getting on a plane tomorrow at 7:00 am for a quick weekend trip to Minot, North Dakota for the in-laws 60th wedding anniversary. That means I need to get up at 4:30am ...yikes.

I just checked the weather forecast and today the high temperature is supposed to be 5 degrees Fahrenheit (that's -15 Celcius) with winds 20 - 30 MPH. My, my, how balmy that is going to be! Let me not forget my stocking cap, scarf and gloves. And warm shoes and coat.

Thank you everyone for all your helpful suggestions for a gift of photographs and a BIG THANK YOU to CindyS for the idea of a digital picture frame. I bought one with an 8" screen on sale after Thanksgiving for $99 (regularly $180) and then bought an SD card for only $10. I have been busily copying files to the SD card and scanning about 100 old photos to add to the card too. The scanning takes quite a while especially if you increase the resolution. Some of the old photos are in bad shape so I really needed to have a higher resolution. I think the card could probably hold about 500 photos but I don't have time to scan that many. I think they'll like what I was able to do. It sort of looks like this one.

The picture frame is so easy to use. Just turn it on and pop in the SD card and it starts a slide show of all the pictures on the card. Now if their grand daughter, Jennifer - who has two kids, has some digital photos she wants to share she can pop the SD card from her digital camera into the frame and show them the latest adventures of their great grandkids. I think mom & dad are going to love it.

When I get home from work I must finish scanning and pack my suitcase. Oh, course, figure out what books to bring.

Reading Now: Dangerous Lover by Lisa Marie Rice.
YUM, very, very, very HOT. Lots of build up and sexual tension before the sex scenes. Jack has been in love with the heroine for 12 years, but when he comes back in her life she doesn't recognize him (he was just a teenager then and she was very rich). Caroline has lost her parents and brother and is barely making ends meet. She takes in boarders to help pay for the upkeep on the old mansion she lives in and Jack approaches her about renting a room. She needs comfort and Jack provides it. Great sex scenes. There is a back story about blood diamonds related to Jack's previous work that is just getting started now and I'm hoping it doesn't distract me from the main plot. My only complaint so far is that the heroine is just too perfect and beautiful.

Movie Review: Beowulf

My team at work won a little competition a few months ago and the prize was lunch and a movie. Our manager finally delivered on that prize yesterday. The guys wanted to go to a Thai restaurant and the movie they decided on was Beowulf in 3D at the IMAX theatre. Not my decision but I went along with it.

The movie was horrid. Too gruesome, bloody and disgusting. I know it was just digital animation but it was very realistic and with the 3D glasses made it look like blood, guts and body parts were flying in your face constantly.



The monster Grendel was so ugly that he was excruciatingly painful to even look at. When Grendel grabs one of the men and bites his head off and crunches on it like celery, my stomach heaved and right there I was done. But I had to sit there because I couldn't see myself climbing over 8 people to get the hell out of there so I suffered through much of the rest of it with my eyes closed.



And the nudity was another story. Now I don't mind nudity, especially male nudity :) but just imagine watching a movie with 8 of your fellow mostly-male coworkers where a male and female character were totally nude (ok, I know it was animation). Would you feel a tad uncomfortable? I was squirming a bit. OK, here's the deal. Angelina Jolie is Grendel's evil mother (forgot her character's name) and she emerges as a gold-plated nude from the waters of the lagoon. Except she had no nipples. (Are those real breasts, cuz mine were never that perky... just saying). And she had spike-heeled feet .... NOT shoes, FEET. You can see it in this picture here. When I saw that I burst out laughing. I think that my girlfriend co-worker and I were the only people that caught that because we were the only ones laughing. The guys were silent ... I'm sure I know what they were looking at. Beowulf is the boastful warrior that takes on Grendel and strips nude to do battle with him. But the family jewels are always kept hidden by well placed objects or people. I don't get that... why are women shown completely nude from head to toe, front & back. Yet nude men always have the good parts covered. There's a double standard here. Men are wimps.



Those damn 3D glasses gave me a headache and made my face itch plus I had to go to the bathroom EXTREMELY badly the last 45 minutes. Let's just say I was miserable through the whole movie. Can you believe this thing was rated PG-13? Should have been R rated really but they got away with it because it was animation. There is something wrong with the MPAA rating system... it's total crap.



I will say that the animation was good with a few problems. Sometimes motion was sort of jerky like when they are riding horses. Too choppy. Anyway, this is not a girl movie. At. All. It might have been tolerable if seen in a regular theatre where bloody stuff isn't flying so much in your face. Or maybe just rent the video when it comes out so you can mute the head crunching sounds. Blech!

60th Wedding Anniversary

Bob's parent's 60th Wedding Anniversary is November 30th and we decided to fly to North Dakota to celebrate with them. This decision was prompted by an email from his aunt who laid a bit of a guilt trip on us. She said basically that she wished we lived closer to her (and them) and wouldn't it be nice to surprise them with a visit in honor of this momentous event. Then she started cataloging all their various aches and pains and ailments. I'm sure we deserved to be slapped alongside the head with this wakeup call.

Several weeks ago Bob and I talked about going out there but had decided against it because

1. Bob hates flying
2. It's expensive
3. We just saw them in June

But really those are pitiful excuses. We won't have them much longer and we need to make more of an effort.

BTW, I adore my in-laws. Plus the love they have shown their grandchildren makes them the best grandparents on the planet. My MIL never forgets a birthday and continually tells me she feels she's so lucky her son married me. My FIL is a hoot and loves to laugh and tell stories of his youth. In fact they both love a good joke and laughing is their favorite past time. They were hard working farmers and lived on the farm up until about 5 years ago when they had to move into the city - Minot - where they are closer to good medical care. Last year they moved into an assisted living facility because things have been getting harder for them. My MIL is 87 and my FIL is 82. An older woman/younger man story spanning 60 years. :)

We will arrive on Friday (30th) around 4:00 and go to dinner at their favorite restaurant. Then Saturday we will spend all day with them. I've heard talk from some relatives that they are trying to arrange some kind of open house party for them that day. Since we are 1200 miles away we can't help out with the plans which makes me feel bad but I said we would contribute the money if they wanted to reserve a meeting room in a hotel to hold the party. Bob's sister is in North Dakota so I'm sure most of the party planning will fall on her unfortunately. We will head back to Seattle on Sunday morning.

I love my MIL as much as my mom and she filled the void when my mom died in 1999. We used to talk and laugh together on the phone. But in recent years she has been getting more forgetful so whenever she calls she keeps the conversations very short. I really think she is afraid she will repeat herself or make a mistake about her memory. But really I don't care, I love her and she can say anything and I won't judge. But you can tell she is very self conscious. She has a pacemaker and Bob's aunt says that the only thing keeping her alive.

My main problem now is figuring out an anniversary gift for them. Help! I need suggestions! What do you get for a couple in their 80's who live in assisted living facility? I was thinking about some food item or treat but that seems like a stupid anniversary gift. Their apartment is very small so they don't have a lot of room. They will probably say that our presence will be gift enough but I think 60 years deserves something.

The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

COPYRIGHT: 2007
SETTING: Historical - Georgian era
TYPE: Straight Romance
PAGES: 384
SERIES: 3rd in the "Prince" series. The heroes of these three books are friends but the books really stand alone.
SENSUALITY: Very HOT

SUMMARY:

WHEN THE DEVIL MEETS AN ANGEL
Country bred Lucy Craddock-Hayes is content with her quiet life. Until the day she trips over an unconscious man—a naked unconscious an—and loses her innocence forever.

HE CAN TAKE HER TO HEAVEN
Viscount Simon Iddesleigh was nearly beaten to death by his enemies. Now he’s hell-bent on vengeance. But as Lucy nurses him back to health, her honesty startles his jaded sensibilities—even as it ignites a desire that threatens to consume them both.

OR TO HELL
Charmed by Simon’s sly wit, urbane manners, and even his red-heeled shoes, Lucy falls hard and fast for him. Yet as his honor keeps him from ravishing her, his revenge sends his attackers to her door. As Simon wages war on his foes, Lucy wages her own war for his soul using the only weapon she has—her love…

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
Unless I read something very spectacular between now and the end of the year, TSP will most likely top my list of best historicals for 2007 in AAR's annual poll. I also made a place for it in my recently completed Top 100 Romances.

TSP had it all -- a dark tortured anti-hero, hot spicy sex scenes, and a wonderfully romantic ending which I've re-read 3 times as of this counting. However, the book had an edgy, gritty quality but was saved from being too serious by a fantastic hero and heroine. The cast of 3-D characters, including Simon's valet, and Lucy's father, a retire naval officer, were also well drawn.

Hoyt is a talented storyteller and I was engrossed from first page to last. This is another controversial book because lots of people may have issues with Simon's behavior in regards to his overwhelming need for vengeance against those who killed his brother. In fact, he goes over the top but I love this type of 'anti-hero' in the tradition of Anne Stuart, my favorite type as a matter of fact. His ultimate redemption at the end is all the sweeter. Never fear, he falls in love with the heroine, Lucy, from the start and treats her well although he fails to tell her the truth about his schemes for revenge until almost the end of the book.

Be warned that the level of violence portrayed in the duels may make some readers uncomfortable. I'm not fond of too much blood and guts myself. But to be fair I thought the duels were realistically portrayed.

Simon is a dark character but he is witty, clever and utterly charming and won my heart completely. Lucy is a down to earth country girl, and her calm demeanor and honesty are a perfect foil to Simon's sarcasm and teasing. But Lucy is also intelligent and sharp-tongued making the dialog between them a pleasure to read. The sex scenes are steamy too ... very erotic and emotional.

As in the previous two books there is a secondary story - a fairy tale about a Serpent Prince and magic and granting wishes - which Simon tells Lucy in bits and pieces throughout the book. It completely rounded out the book. I look forward to more from this author.

GRADE: A

Hot Wheels & High Heels by Jane Graves

COPYRIGHT: 2007
PAGES: 363
SETTING: Contemporary
TYPE: Straight Romance
SERIES: No
SENSUALITY: Warm


SUMMARY:

She has caviar dreams on a SPAM budget

Trophy wife Darcy McDaniel has just discovered that, thanks to her embezzling husband, her posh, upper-class life is gone for good. Now she's trading her suburban palace for a trailer park and her weekly salon appointments for a job. Darcy needs a new man--fast--one who'll keep her in the manner she darn well deserves. Problem is, the hottest prospect around is the my-way-or-the-highway hunk who's making off with her beloved Mercedes!

He doesn't want trouble...until she saunters in wearing high heels

Ex-cop turned repo man John Stark is sure that hiring the furious woman in his headlights is a colossal mistake. He knows Darcy's high-maintenance, designer-labels-only type--after all, he's used to taking their cars. But he never expected this hellion to have the smarts and the spunk to go from receptionist to repo agent in record time...or to drive him insane with desire. She's the last thing this tall, dark, and dangerous loner needs...and everything ne never knew he wanted.

THOUGHTS / OPINION:
I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed HW&HH. My first book by this author, I Got You, Babe, was a keeper and the next two were pretty good, although not as good as IGYB for me. In HW&HH the heroine, Darcy McDaniel, returns from vacation with a girlfriend to discover her husband has sold their house, emptied their bank accounts and disappeared. Darcy is a trophy wife who traded on her youth and good looks to a man old enough to be her father so she can live the easy life. All she has left is her fancy car and her dog, Pepe. She has no money and no where to live and no job skills. So back to the trailer park she goes to live with her parents until she figures out what to do. Darcy was not a very likable character at first. But her character development along the way was very nicely done.

John Stark is an ex-cop who now owns his own repossession company. Darcy's husband was not making the payments on her car and John tracks her down in order to repo her car but Darcy catches him at it. There is a very funny scene where Darcy tricks him while he is trying to repo her car so that she keeps it from him. But he eventually catches up with her and gets the car. But he ends up offering her the receptionist job in his office and then the sparks start to fly. The snappy dialog was funny and the plot was fast paced and entertaining. I really started to like Darcy and became sympathetic to how she got in her predicament and how she works hard to get out and be self sufficient. John was yummy and the sexual tension was delicious. Even the secondary characters are well done. Although Darcy's mother was rather cliche, her father turned out to be very human and likable. This was a fun read guaranteed to make you smile. I'll be reading Graves's next book Tall Tales & Wedding Veils which features John's employee, Tony.

GRADE: B+

Some good books from 2007 - Part 2

More books from 2007 that I have enjoyed.

Claiming The Courtesan by Anna Campbell
This book was one of the most controversial books of the year. It seemed that people either loved it or hated it. Justin, Duke of Kylemore, is a spoiled selfish powerful man with a heap of emotional baggage. He is absolutely obsessed with his mistress Soraya and wants to make her his duchess. But Soraya is really Verity Ashton and wants to leave the life of a courtesan for a more respectable life in the country. When she disappears from London, Justin is furious and tracks her down and kidnaps her. He treats her cruelly and the forced seduction scenes were painful to read and normally I would have cringed thrown the book at the wall. But I was absolutely enthralled and couldn't put it down. These were two damaged souls and I love a good redemption story. The forced seduction was really more emotionally violent rather than physically violent. This was Campbell's debut book and she took quite a risk with this storyline but I will definitely be reading her next one, Untouched, due out in December.

My grade: B+



The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
I picked this one up because I loved The Raven Prince and I'm glad I did. Lady Georgina Maitland is a wealthy woman. She inherited a fortune and a large amount of land from an aunt and now she needs someone to manage her property. She hires Harry Pye as her land steward. As Harry and Georgina work together their attraction develops and results in some very steamy love scenes. I love stories where there is a big difference in social standing and this one was handled realistically. When Harry is accused of poisoning a neighbor's sheep, Georgina immediately believes in Harry's innocence. Both characters were very likable and were realistically portrayed.

My grade: B+



Ice Blue by Anne Stuart
Here is another excellent example of the cold dark anti-hero who spends a great deal of time wavering between the desire to assassinate or make love to the heroine. Summer Hawthorne is the daughter of a wealthy woman involved in a Japanese religious cult run by a disturbed fanatic, Shirosama, who is planning a catastrophic killing of millions of people with biological weapons. Summer was given a priceless Japanese bowl by her nanny and her mother has promised the bowl to the Shirosama (for some ritualistic reasons I didn't quite understand) but Summer refuses to let him have it. Takashi O'Brien is a member of the Committee, a top secret anti-terrorist organization. Taka is assigned the task of acquiring the bowl and assassinating Summer to assure her silence. But he ends up saving her from Shirosama's followers and a complex thrilling roller coaster adventure begins. Taka belongs to the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) and is half Japanese, half American and walked that fine line between hero and villain. Summer was one of Stuart's stronger heroines.

My grade: B

Reading now: Just finished Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson and loved it. This is Gibson's debut novel and I don't think her later books have this kind of depth. I just started Hard Lovin' Man by Lorraine Heath on KristieJ's rec. Very good so far.

Happy Halloween

Dev gave me this cute little Halloween treat:



We had a Halloween party at work with a potluck and costumes, office decorating contest and bingo. Some people brought spooky food. Someone brought these black duck eggs which are some kind of Chinese delicacy and were the grossest thing I have ever seen. Someone took pictures of costumes and the weird food. The employees' kids are coming later for trick or treating at all of our offices. I love seeing all the kids costumes.

I bought a huge bag of candy for the trick or treaters from the neighborhood. We usually only get 5 kids. Guess who has to eat all that leftover candy :)

Top 100 Romances

Here is my list of top 100 romances for the AAR poll, such as it is. It was a lot of work and slightly painful when I had to slash it down to a "mere" 100. And the ordering is pure crap. My top 20 are bunched together and only kinda in order and the rest are ordered as best I could. It's an impossible task and depended on my mood of the day.

I'm not going to turn it in for a few days so I have time to make adjustments. I have already been tweaking it but it's starting to drive me crazy so I just have to let it go.

1	A Rose at Midnight	Anne Stuart
2	Flowers from the Storm	Laura Kinsale
3	Pride and Prejudice	Jane Austen
4	The Notorious Rake	Mary Balogh
5	Red Adam's Lady	Grace Ingram
6	Fallen From Grace	Laura Leone
7	Night in Eden	Candice Proctor
8	After the Night	Linda Howard
9	To Have and To Hold	Patricia Gaffney
10	Naked in Death	J. D. Robb
11	All Through the Night	Connie Brockway
12	Black Ice	Anne Stuart
13	Duncan's Bride	Linda Howard
14	Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand	Carla Kelly
15	Truly Madly Yours	Rachel Gibson
16	Reforming Lord Ragsdale	Carla Kelly
17	Sunshine and Shadows	Tom and Sharon Curtis
18	Last Summer	Theresa Weir
19	Morning Glory	LaVyrle Spencer
20	Sea Swept	Nora Roberts
21	With This Ring	Carla Kelly
22	Angels Fall	Nora Roberts
23	Dream Man	Linda Howard
24	Heart of Deception	Taylor Chase
25	See Jane Score	Rachel Gibson
26	Heart of Fire	Linda Howard
27	Dreaming of You	Lisa Kleypas
28	Thunder and Roses	Mary Jo Putney
29	It Had To Be You	Susan Elizabeth Phillips
30	The Wives of Bowie Stone	Maggie Osborne
31	One Summer	Karen Robards
32	The Emerald Necklace	Diana Brown
33	Dance	Judy Cuevas
34	Lady Gallant	Suzanne Robinson
35	Nightfall	Anne Stuart
36	Joe's Wife	Cheryl St. John
37	Faro's Daughter	Georgette Heyer
38	Wolf in Waiting	Rebecca Flanders
39	A Fine Work of Art	Shelby Reed
40	Untie My Heart	Judith Ivory
41	Streets of Fire	Judith Duncan
42	Ride the Fire	Pamela Clare
43	Cry No More	Linda Howard
44	Out of Control	Suzanne Brockmann
45	The Phoenix Code	Catherine Asaro
46	The Windflower	Tom and Sharon Curtis
47	MacKenzie's Pleasure	Linda Howard
48	The Lady's Tutor	Robin Schone
49	Match Me If You Can	Susan Elizabeth Phillips
50	Passion	Lisa Valdez
51	One Good Turn	Carla Kelly
52	Dream Fever	Katherine Sutcliffe
53	Paradise	Judith McNaught
54	The Serpent Prince	Elizabeth Hoyt
55	Lady of Quality	Georgette Heyer
56	Anyone But You	Jennifer Crusie
57	A Debt of Honor	Diana Brown
58	Prairie Wife	Cheryl St. John
59	To Love a Dark Lord	Anne Stuart
60	The Monk Downstairs	Tim Farrington
61	Harvard's Education	Suzanne Brockmann
62	Devil in Winter	Lisa Kleypas
63	Heaven, Texas	Susan Elizabeth Phillips
64	Simple Jess	Pamela Morsi
65	Devilish	Jo Beverley
66	Skypirate	Justine Davis
67	Perfect	Judith McNaught
68	Bliss	Judy Cuevas
69	Winter Garden	Adele Ashworth
70	My Dearest Enemy	Connie Brockway
71	Welcome To Temptation	Jennifer Crusie
72	Sleeping Beauty	Judith Ivory
73	Libby's London Merchant	Carla Kelly
74	All the Queen's Men	Linda Howard
75	A Kingdom of Dreams	Judith McNaught
76	Born in Fire	Nora Roberts
77	Caressed by Ice	Nalini Singh
78	A Much Younger Man	Dianne Highbridge
79	Slow Heat in Heaven	Sandra Brown
80	In the Midnight Rain	Ruth Wind
81	Driven to Distraction	Judith Duncan
82	Julie & Romeo	Francis Ray
83	Birthright	Nora Roberts
84	Games of Command	Linnea Sinclair
85	Slave to Sensation	Nalini Singh
86	Keeper of the Dream	Penelope Williamson
87	The Nightingale's Song	Kathleen Eschenberg
88	All Night Long	Michelle Jerott
89	Kinsman's Oath	Susan Krinard
90	Upon a Wicked Time	Karen Ranney
91	Render Unto Caesar	Gillian Bradshaw
92	Manhunting	Jennifer Crusie
93	A Reason to Live	Maureen McKade
94	Castaway Hearts	Nancy Butler
95	The Lone Rider	Lauren Bach
96	Texas! Chase	Sandra Brown
97	The Trouble With Joe	Emilie Richards
98	Heart Throb	Suzanne Brockmann
99	Heat Lightning	Anne Stuart
100	Married by Mistake	Melinda McRae

Working on "The List"

Time is running out and I'm feeling stressed about finishing my Top 100 Romances for the AAR poll. I finally narrowed down my list to 100 last night. Then I started the monumental task of sorting them in order of preference. I was rather overwhelmed until I came up with the idea of taking 20 of my all time favorites (I tried 10 at first but that was too hard) set them aside in a new list and then put them in a semi-order. Then I grabbed 20 more from the remaining 80 and sorted those. And so on it goes. I still have 40 left to go.

The whole task of sorting them is really like comparing apples to oranges. I may like one book more for the characters and another more for the plot, etc. etc. I like different books for different reasons. In the end I'm sorting them for my gut feeling about them. Or rather my heart. It's all subjective.

Anyway, AAR Rachel and Rosario finished their lists. And AAR published Interim results at the bottom of the poll. I found a couple books on these lists that I want to add but that means deleting some from my current list. Impossible! I better quit looking at other lists. I'd like to publish my list in a nice table like they did but I don't think I'm that smart.

What else? Oh, yeah, did you read about Nora Roberts winning book of the year at the 3rd annual Quill Awards? Totally awesome. I'm so proud :)

The rumble continues with KristieJ and Cindy posting some cool sparklies. It's so nice to be part of a community where people can disagree without getting their panties in a twist. I came up on the side of Derek and Cindy is feeling betrayed but I know she still loves me. Right, Cindy? Hmm, maybe I'll have to do something to get back into her good graces and groveling is probably involved.

Some good books from 2007

I have read 39 books published in 2007 so far this year but I have only done reviews on about a third of them. So in an effort to catch up, here are some quickie reviews of the best of the rest.

The Abducted Heiress by Claire Thornton
This book takes place in the Restoration Era in 1666 during the Great Fire of London. The setting, characters, and attitudes felt realistic for the place and time. Although the book had it's faults I enjoyed reading about the fire and how it affected people. Jayne at DearAuthor wrote a more thorough review so click here if you want to know more. My grade: B-


Innocent in Death by J. D. Robb
Another solid and fascinating addition to this series. I love this series and I think my main motivation for reading them is to see how the relationship between Eve and Roarke develops. And every book seems to have some event or events that move their relationship forward and makes it stronger. IID is no different. When an old girlfriend of Roarke's comes into town and starts asking for 'favors', Eve doesn't know quite how to handle it. She is extremely jealous but wants to appear unconcerned. Deep down though her insecurities are twisting her in knots. Magdelina is stunningly beautiful and super smooth but Eve is suspicious and despises her on sight. Roarke seems oblivious at first and insulted at Eve's jealousy, but he is no dummy and my respect for him was raised another notch because he sees through Magdelina fairly quickly. Oh, and the homicide investigation in IID is another good one. A much-beloved young teacher at an exclusive private school is murdered and I was rather shocked when his murderer is finally revealed because I didn't see it (or refused to believe it). My grade: B+


Castle of the Wolf by Sandra Schwab
This book also had an unusual setting - a dark mysterious castle in the Black Forest of Germany. I'm not sure of the time period but it seemed like maybe 1820's or so. I cut my eyeteeth on dark gothics like Jane Eyre when I was a teenager and this book reminded me so much of them. The hero is dark and tortured and is hiding some secrets. The heroine is convinced someone is trying to kill her. Some spooky weird things happen and the hero is so enigmatic that I almost believed he was behind them. Anyway it was great fun.
My grade: B


Well, I'm running out of steam tonight so I'll make another post this weekend with some more quickie reviews.

Free View

Cindy tagged me a few days ago and I'm just getting around to it. This is my desktop at work. Yeah, you're not seeing double. I have two monitors so when I did a Print Screen it took an image of both monitors. I'm too lazy to crop it.


I subscribe to Webshots and my favorite wallpapers all show beach scenes. I especially love tropical beach scenes that show palm trees, sand and turquoise blue water. They make me wish I was there inside the picture. Especially when we have those gray dreary days (like today) and I feel like escaping.

I'll try to do a print screen of my home computer later. I don't think there is anyone left to tag but I'll look at that too when I get home.

Dirty by Megan Hart

COPYRIGHT: 2007
PAGES: 425
SETTING: Contemporary
TYPE: Erotica
SERIES: No (loosely related to Broken)
SENSUALITY: Burning

REASON FOR READING: Janine's review at DearAuthor piqued my interest. Also I greatly enjoyed Broken.

SUMMARY/BLURB:

This is what happened . . .

I met him at the candy store. He turned around and smiled at me and I was surprised enough to smile back. This was not a children's candy store, mind you—this was the kind of place you went to buy expensive imported chocolate truffles for your boss's wife because you felt guilty for having sex with him when you were both at a conference in Milwaukee. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

I've been hit on plenty of times, mostly by men with little finesse who thought what was between their legs made up for what they lacked between their ears. Sometimes I went home with them anyway, just because it felt good to want and be wanted, even if it was mostly fake.

The problem with wanting is that it's like pouring water into a vase full of stones. It fills you up before you know it, leaving no room for anything else. I don't apologize for who I am or what I've done in—or out—of bed. I have my job, my house and my life, and for a long time I haven't wanted anything else.

Until Dan. Until now.

THOUGHTS / OPINION:

This was a much harder review to write than the one I did for Broken. Elle Kavanaugh is a very troubled young woman and even though this book is written in first person we don't really know what's going on. Somewhere around a third of the way into the book I started to decipher all the signals and hints which had raised my suspicions. By the halfway point I had figured out the main issue and although the subject is a difficult one for most women, I couldn't put the book down.

Elle is not a likable person or admirable in any way. She doesn't act wisely and seems self destructive. Well, actually she is self-destructive and that right there is a big hint and should set off the alarm bells in your brain. When we first meet Elle we find out that she has been celibate for 3 years but before that had been having frequent anonymous sex. It was strange how the way Ms. Hart wrote this made me feel like I was inside Elle's head but she wasn't telling me what I really wanted to know ..... mainly my question was "Why?" Eventually I had to figure it out for myself.

Elle meets Dan Stewart in a candy store. They start dating but their relationship takes weeks to become sexual. Elle can't do emotional intimacy so she treats their relationship like those anonymous sexual encounters from years ago. Some reviews I've read on this book thought Elle's voice read rather flat but I had the opposite reaction. I thought it was very emotional and very thought provoking especially after I figured out her issues. It was difficult and sometimes painful to read but I have to agree with Janine from DearAuthor when she describes the tone of the book this way:

...this delivery showed Elle’s numbness, her emotional armor, in a way that a different tone would not have.

That about sums it up.

Dan wants more intimacy and Elle wants less. Eventually they figure out why she pushes him away and they have a happy ending but it was not an easy journey. The resolution of their problems was dealt with very realistically and some readers might feel it's a bit too real. The cover calls it "An Erotic Novel" and the sex scenes are burning but some of them were not really "sexy", if you know what I mean. Well, maybe you don't. Anyway, this book isn't for everyone but I found it satisfying and was convinced of Dan and Elle's future happiness. If you want to read something a little deeper or if you enjoyed Hart's Broken, you might consider giving this book a try.

GRADE: B+

Strange sight and other stuff

Saw something strange today. I was driving to work this morning when I came to a stop light. Crossing the road in front of me in the crosswalk was a young woman (probably mid-20's) who was reading a hardback book while crossing the street. It looked like she was on the last few pages but sheesh!, does she have a death wish or something. Now I have been known to read while walking back in my college days but never while crossing the street. I live in an area where pedestrians have more rights than drivers but still people have been known to be killed in a crosswalk even around here. You can't trust drivers to actually see you. And to top it off, it was raining! So the pages had to have been getting wet. Must have been a really good book. Wonder what it was :)

I'm a software tester and I use a computer constantly everyday. Using my mouse has been causing me pain and severe coldness in my right hand for the last year or so. I've been trying to use my left hand for my mouse and trying to learn keyboard shortcuts which has helped a little. I decided to buy a new wireless mouse which is ambidextrous so I can use it with either hand. I came across a review at cnet.com for wireless mouses (or mice) and the top rated one seemed to fill the bill. It's made for smaller hands (yeah, I have small hands and small feet - completely out of proportion to my butt) and can be used with either hand. It has a scroll wheel that is the fastest one on the market - it really screams. And the mouse is wireless so I can move it anywhere on my desk or even to my lap. I like to keep it on the left side of my keyboard and I use it with either hand. I'm getting pretty good at using it with my left hand, but when I'm in a hurry I can use my right hand. Yeah, it was pricey but worth it. Almost no pain or coldness in my hand/arm now.

I went through my spreadsheet and came up with a list of more than 125 books of my favorite books for AAR's Top 100 Romances poll. You have until October 31st to submit it but I'd like to get it done before that. I still need to trim it down but putting it in order of preference is going to be a very difficult task.

I came across this link about the cheapest days to buy certain items to get the best deals. Check it out. Under Books is says that the cheapest day to buy is Thursday.

Reading now: The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt and it has a fascinating hero whose wit just leaps off the pages. The heroine is well done too. I just came across a very funny dinner scene that had me laughing out loud. KristieJ just reviewed it and gave it a top score and put it on her Top 100 Romances list. I have a feeling I'm going to be doing the same thing when I finish it. What's everyone reading now?